Those of us who struggle to peel ourselves from bed in the morning would try most anything to greet the day with a zestier pep in our step. Wake Up On Time is a product that promises to do just that – but does it work?
Those of us who struggle to peel ourselves from bed in the morning would try almost anything to greet the day with more pep.
Wake Up On Time, a nutraceutical launched in 2008 and showing up at a growing number of retailers, presents a tantalizing prospect. Take two pills before you go to sleep, and the time-release capsules will allegedly shoot energy-boosting supplements into your system seven to eight hours later, helping you wake up invigorated.
An interesting concept. But does it work?
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Creator Cathy Beggan, a chronic oversleeper who used to have to set multiple alarm clocks around the room to yank herself out of bed, says the ingredients speak for themselves.
The tablets contain guarana seed, which has twice as much caffeine as coffee beans; l-tyrosine, which increases alertness; eleuthero root extract, thought to boost immunity; plus high concentrations of B vitamins — thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6 and B12 — which are known to raise energy. Those ingredients are coated in delayed-release capsules, that are supposed to dissolve and release the supplements seven to eight hours later.
The product is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.”I don’t see the need for a clinical trial,” said Beggan, a former real estate agent who has since launched a dozen products, under the limited liability company Rise-N-Shine, promising to combat everything from gray hair to menopause symptoms. “We have a cult following with this.”
To Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist with a specialty in sleep disorders, the concept of Wake Up On Time makes sense because the ingredients are energizing. But he is skeptical that the time-release technology can deposit the ingredients in one big shot at just the right time. Rather, time-release capsules tend to sprinkle bits of the ingredients into the system throughout the night, which runs the risk of inhibiting your sleep and actually making you more tired in the morning.
“Guarana, if it is slowly released over time, can keep you in a lighter phase of sleep,” said Breus.
Kids and teens should not take the pills, he said, because their difficulties with waking up have to do with biological circadian issues better handled with light therapy.
Rather than try to give their sleepy heads a jolt in the morning, people need to think about why they’re so tired, Breus said. Adjusting behavior — going to bed earlier, not drinking caffeine in the late afternoon, not eating right before bed — can do more to leave you feeling refreshed in the morning than a caffeine fix.
We tried it
Wake Up On Time:
After taking two tablets the night before, this reporter woke up without the aid of an alarm clock about an hour earlier than usual — but then went back to sleep and struggled to wake up again. Spent the day feeling groggy.
Coffee:
The joy of having a hot drink in hand may do more to perk me up than the caffeine. Sleep expert Michael Breus said he’d rather his patients take caffeine than guarana or taurine because he knows less about their safe dosage, half life and interaction with other chemicals.
5-Hour Energy:
Woke up tired after a fitful night of sleep and took a 1-ounce shot of the product, which counts taurine (found in Red Bull), caffeine and B vitamins among its ingredients. Felt alert and focused for much of the morning.